Hi all, I grew up in Cyprus (RAF) mollycoddled and poor, the most wonderful childhood. 9 years in all, total freedom, add to that Malta, Gibraltar, Germany etc.

Then we landed in Calne. Culture shock or what!

I already knew how to fight, they teach boxing in my schools, but nothing prepared me for Wiltshire. It certainly added a new dimension.

Then I ran off the rails, became an alcoholic. Name a drug and I’ve done it. Was homeless for 10 years, lived in a bus, caravans, tents or just under a hedge.

My Dad said “why can’t you just settle down!”

Dad! You’ve dragged me round the world and expect me to settle down!

My point is the lovely people of Wiltshire have settled me down, and put up with me. I’ve never met people who will ground you like this before. I love this county and all who live here and that’s it I’m done.

Big shout to Doorway in Chippenham. Fantastic people who helped me so much in my darkest days. Love you all.

WOW: I am truly honoured to have been invited to Sainsbury’s this morning for the Cheque Presentation for Sainsbury’s Chippenham Charity of the Year 2014-2015. Doorway was presented by Sainsbury’s a Cheque for an AMAZING (I hope you are sitting down) £8510.91.

I would like to Thank Michelle,Darren,Rory,Katie,Jacqui and Di (thanks for the delicious piece of cake) for hosting us this morning. Special Thanks to all the Staff and Customers who did an awesome job helping raise the FANTASTIC amount. Good luck to the next Charity to be chosen, you will be in fantastic hands.

Feel really proud to have given my time over the past 12 months to help raise the money, although my part was very small. Thanks again to Lisa and team Doorway for allowing me to take part, I really had a brilliant time.

Many thanks to everyone involved in the organisation of the Spring Fair and manning the stalls on the day. And huge thanks, also, to everyone who supported the event by either donating items or buying stuff on the day.

If you read my column last month then you will remember that two of our rough sleepers failed the Pereira Test since they were deemed, by the council, not to be any more vulnerable than “an ordinary homeless person”

It’s really rather ironic and devastatingly sad that one of those guys has since died. Which proves that he was actually really rather vulnerable after all.

And yes, it will be extremely easy for anyone to just write him off as being homeless and substance dependent but it is worth remembering that he was desperately trying to get help to not only come off the drugs but also to get treatment for hepatitis, find suitable supportive accommodation and get himself sorted.

Desperately trying to get help in what we, at Doorway, call the catch-22 fridge situation…

See, standard treatment for hepatitis C is only possible if you can store your medication (Interferon) in a fridge. And if you are homeless then you haven’t got a fridge. But you can’t get a fridge because someone has decided that you aren’t priority need and therefore the council doesn’t have a statutory duty to find you accommodation. But the fact of the matter is that you are unable to start treatment and therefore you are really rather vulnerable. It’s really not rocket science.

In 2012, Moses (a volunteer at Wiltshire Addiction Support Project) walked 200 miles around Wiltshire with a fridge in order to raise awareness of this very issue. Moses, who was a Falklands veteran and formerly homeless, suffered from the virus but was unable to access treatment since he was living in a caravan and didn’t have a fridge.

“There are a lot of people who are diagnosed with hepatitis C like myself that are homeless so they are missing out on treatment, and I wanted to raise awareness of it. I am hoping that it will do something towards the stigma.”

Three years later and not only is the condition still not recognised as being of a high priority, but there is still a huge amount of stigma attached to actually having the illness.

The bottom line is that K was extremely vulnerable. He had ongoing long term mental health issues which led to him being very fragile. But there is very little support for people who have a dual diagnosis – a mental health condition co-occurring with substance misuse. It is impossible to treat someone for these issues separately and yet there has been, in our experience, very little overlap within the two spheres of provision of support. He also had serious physical health issues that needed treatment. Basically K was on a crash course to developing serious long term medical conditions that could very easily be fatal.

Depending on other risk factors, such as alcohol use, between 10% and 40% of people with untreated chronic hepatitis will go on to develop scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). Around one in five people with cirrhosis will then develop liver failure, and one in 20 will develop liver cancer, both of which can be fatal.

So whilst people sat around making decisions about his levels of vulnerability they delayed him getting into a safe place, and forgot that he was a human being who was totally reliant on a stranger having a bit of compassion and just giving him a little bit of support when he needed it most.

And that bloody breaks my heart. Because I saw K week after week, year after year, and I sat and listened to him every time he broke down and sobbed. And we were just at the point where he actually had the chance to get a room in supported accommodation, he was engaging with the substance misuse services, and he was waiting for his hepatitis treatment. He walked out the door on that day and gave me a hug because he could see the light at the end of the very long dark tunnel and he knew that he had a chance to make everything okay.

My name is Gareth and I lived in Wiltshire for a number of years whilst serving in the armed forces. I left the army last year and spent a brief period living in the north east before moving to Chippenham. In my new community I quickly recognised the excellent work and effort that Lisa Lewis puts into Doorway, pretty much her entire heart and soul.

Last October I found out that I had secured a place in the London marathon and my friend Michelle suggested I run for Doorway. I took Michelle’s advice on board and I have since raised around £600 for an extremely worthy cause.

Since 2007 I have never lived in one place for longer than a year. I know first-hand what it is like to face regular disruption to your life when moving around seemingly constantly. However, this is nothing in comparison to the problems and issues that Lisa at Doorway helps people with on a daily basis.

In November I wrote for the Independent newspaper about my worries regarding leaving the armed forces and subsequent issues of poverty and homelessness. This is an issue that is very much close to my heart and I really hope I can continue to help Doorway in Wiltshire in whatever way I can.

There is very much a family / community feeling surrounding Doorway and that is testament to the outstanding and unbelievable work they undertake. I would of course welcome the day where Doorway’s services are no longer required, yet until then I implore you to help where and when you can, to help those in need who need our help the most.

Spent another day at Sainsburys Chippenham bag packing with Doorway although I had to leave earlier than I intended.

It was both a sad but again a very enjoyable experience. Today was our last session bag packing.

Many thanks must be given to all the Sainsburys staff who actually voted for us as their charity for the year, their professionalism and friendliness are second to none. A special thank you to Jan for the excellent conversation we had on the checkout today.

Once again the customers were great with their generosity, friendliness and support over the last 12 months and is truly appreciated.

To “team” Doorway I would like to say a very special thank you for allowing me to take part, I am truly honoured.